Marchin' On
by SofiaSofiaSofia
Summary: A Calzona fic that explores their life post-shooting. It's not always happy, so be warned. There is also some Mark/Lexie, but the main ship is Calzona.
1. The Calm Before the Storm

**This is a Calzona fic that covers the path they head down as a couple after the shooting. I warn you that not everything will always be smooth sailing. There is also a little bit of Mark/Lexie involved, but it's more Calzona than anything else. Please leave me a review if you're interested in more. Thanks. **

* * *

><p>"Macey Glover's mom made this for us," Arizona smiled, holding up a painted ceramic ornament that was shaped like a reindeer.<p>

"I love it."

"Me too," she said.

Their apartment was filled with various Christmas decorations that Arizona had brought home from the Peds. ward as gifts. There were ornaments, drawings of Santa Claus and Christmas trees, and even matching stockings that had been made just for the couple. It was just another little added bonus of working with people who believed in magic and fairytales because they hadn't grown up enough to understand that there was more to life than countdowns to Christmas or slumber parties.

Unfortunately for Dr. Robbins and the rest of the Seattle Grace-Mercy West staff, they were not quite able to be so wonderfully naive anymore. All of that disappeared that day four months ago when Gary Clark had walked into their sanctuary and opened fire, killing and injuring their friends and coworkers.

Callie and Arizona had been among the lucky ones. They made contact with Mr. Clark, but he didn't threaten to take their lives. As they counted their blessings, both of them realized that they needed each other. It had helped to patch many of the holes in their relationship, even if it was damaging to their spirits at the same time.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Callie asked her as she put the ornament from the Glover's on the tiny tree.

"It's only a consultation," Arizona said. "It's not like we're bringing a baby home or something."

"Just want to make sure you still want this."

In those long hours, Callie's dream of a family had become Arizona's as well. Some people just assumed she had given in, but no. She had simply decided that she would love Calliope Torres no matter what their lives consisted of. She would love their life as long as they shared it with each other. Having children was no longer something she was so against. Suddenly, she was able to see herself and Callie with little ones around and she welcomed them now. The shooting had given her clarity.

"I still want this," she said. "Though..."

"What?"

"I was probably exaggerating when I said we'd have ten."

She laughed. "Yep." Callie kissed her. "You," she said. "You are going to be a great mom."

"You too," she replied.

"Thanks," she said.

* * *

><p>"I'm worried about Lexie," Mark told his friend as they tried to steal a few minutes worth of a break at work that night.<p>

It had been a busy shift and they were both exhausted. Mark had been there longer than Callie had, but she had just spent eight hours in the OR. Christmas season was a busy one. Roads were icy and people acquired various types of holiday-related injuries. As much as they loved operating, they also felt like the season would never end.

"I know," she said. "You've said that every day, Mark."

"What?" Arizona asked, coming and sitting down beside her girlfriend on the gurney. "That he's worried about Lexie?"

"See?"

"She's just..." Mark started to say.

"Her boyfriend got shot and almost died. Her friends did die. She's bound to be just a little weirded out."

"You had to call Karev her boyfriend, huh?"

"Because he was," the women said in unison.

"But he's not now," Mark said.

"No, but still."

"So I'm just supposed to leave her be?" he asked.

"For now, yes," Arizona nodded. "Be open. Make sure she knows you're there if she's ready, but don't hover."

He sighed. "I need to drink," he decided. "Wanna head over to Joe's when we get off?"

"Don't know if it's the best idea to get hung over the night before going to the fertility specialist," Callie yawned.

"Great," she said. "You'll be boring people with a baby and I'll be alone and..."

"Desperate?" Arizona finished.

"Kinda."

"You can babysit," Callie suggested. "That would be a good thing."

Arizona looked around. The hustling and bustling that had been going on had seemingly stopped.

"It's pretty qu-"

"Don't say it!" Callie and Mark both cut her off.

"Calm," she chose instead.

"The calm before the storm," Callie said, knowing this break wouldn't last much longer at all.

"God, I hope not," Mark replied.

* * *

><p>"This is so much less fun than making a baby should be," Callie said as they sat in the office waiting for their appointment with Dr. Dashiell Brooks the next morning.<p>

"True," she said. "Very true."

"And more expensive," she said.

"Also true."

"But also a lot more worth it," she pointed out.

"Huh?"

"I mean...with all we're gonna have to go through to get our baby here. It kinda makes it that much more awesome, you know? Not that any baby isn't..."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I guess."

"I keep hearing names on little kids at work and –"

"Calliope, we are not discussing names, baby shopping, or anything like that," she laughed. "There is no baby yet. That just seems a little silly, does it not?"

"And it could jinx it."

"Do you really think anything could jinx this?" Arizona questioned.

"Not really, but I don't wanna be wrong either."

"If it's meant to be, it'll happen," Arizona said.

"I know," she agreed. "I just want this to work so badly."

"Me too."


	2. Results

It was decided that Callie would be the one to carry their child. Arizona didn't really have a strong feeling about it either way, and Callie couldn't wait to be pregnant. She knew that not all aspects of pregnancy were glamorous and fun, but it didn't matter to her. It was one of the things she had always wanted to experience.

Over the next six weeks, they felt as if they were living their lives in slow motion. They chose a sperm donor and Callie's fertility treatments started. Every painful hormone injection made Arizona feel bad for her girlfriend, and the procedure to extract Callie's eggs was even worse. The latina's tough exterior was wearing thinner and thinner as they got closer and closer to their goal. Still, she knew it would all be more than worth it if it resulted in their beautiful baby.

Dr. Brooks made Callie swear not to take a home pregnancy test during the two week wait for her results. He explained that because of the hormones Callie had been taking, those would all be positive even if she wasn't pregnant. The only sure way to tell was a blood test that could allow them to read her exact levels.

Both women tried their best to throw themselves into their work. The more they were on-call and in the OR, the less they would daydream about nursery decorating and lullaby singing. Their plan wasn't nearly as easy, though.

"Do you feel like you're being stalked by babies?" Callie asked her as they both stood at the nurses' station scribbling in the charts of their patients.

Arizona laughed. "I'm in Peds."

"True," Callie said. "But I'm being stalked by babies. Seriously. I operated on a three-year-old this morning, and I just sent two more toddlers to x-ray a few minutes ago."

"Lexie finally talked to me," Mark said, walking up.

"Speaking of babies..." Callie replied.

"Whatever."

"Sorry," she said. "What did Little Grey say?"

"She asked if I still had a jacket of hers at my apartment," he answered. "But still. It wasn't about work or the shooting. Baby steps."

"You had to say the B word."

"What?" he asked. "Oh. Baby."

"That would be the one," Arizona said.

"It worked," he promised them.

"How are you so sure?" Callie wondered. "And don't say something stupid. I do not glow, Mark."

"I just know it did."

"Well...tomorrow's the day," Arizona asked.

"I've never looked so forward to blood work," Callie smiled.

"Good luck," Mark said. "Not that you need it."

"Good luck with Lexie," she said. "And all the talk of jackets. Sounds promising."

"Don't tease," he told her. "I'm not teasing you two."

"Sorry."

* * *

><p>Arizona was up all night with a few critical patients she had, so she finally fell asleep in an on-call room just before the lab got the results of Callie's blood work. She had been trying to fight the exhaustion just a little longer, but her body had given in even if her mind didn't want to.<p>

Callie didn't care. Actually, it made it more exciting. Not only did she find out that she was in fact pregnant, but now she could tell her girlfriend since Arizona wasn't right there to see for herself.

Keeping the secret for the next three hours wasn't easy. She wanted to scream it from the rooftops. Containing her joy became a major challenge.

"So?" Mark asked when he ran into his friend.

"So, I don't know yet," she told him, knowing it was about all she could say that wouldn't give it away before she told her girlfriend.

"Lies."

"Mark, stop."

"You're pregnant and you know it."

"I've gotta go," she said, practically running down the hall.

Mark laughed. "Okay then, Mommy," he said.

"Madre," she said, turning around. "Mommy's Arizona."

"Oh, so you admit it."

"No, just...shut up, Mark."

Clearly, he knew. He just didn't know that Arizona didn't know yet and Callie wanted the first time she spoke the words to be in front of Arizona.

Callie went and sat on the edge of the bed watching Arizona sleep. She wanted to wake her so badly, yet there was something so perfectly angelic about her right now and she didn't want to disturb that.

Arizona woke up on her own a couple minutes later. "Whoa," she said, a little surprised to see Callie hovering.

"Sorry, Mommy," Callie said, standing up.

"It's o-" Then she processed Callie's words. "Wait? Did you just -?"

"I did," she nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "I'm pregnant."

"We're gonna be mothers." She was smiling as well.

Callie's lips met hers. "We are."

"How long have you known?"

"A few hours."

"And you didn't wake me up?"

"You looked exhausted," she explained.

"I was."

"Good thing we're used to it," Callie pointed out. "Three a.m. feedings'll be easier."

"Very true, Madre."

* * *

><p>The mothers-to-be went out to dinner to celebrate their news that night. On the way home, Callie insisted they make just one quick stop.<p>

"And why did you have to take a test?" Arizona asked her as she came out of the bathroom once they were home.

Callie held it in her hands and looked down at the second line that wasn't quite as dark as the control line, but still there. It was a little silly, but she couldn't resist.

"Because," she said. "It's just...part of it. And now that we know that it's showing a positive result because I really am pregnant, I had to. I couldn't miss out on watching the second line come up. It's so exciting."

"I love how happy you are," Arizona said, giving her a kiss.

"You're happy too, right?"

"Yes, Callie," she said. "For the hundredth time. I wouldn't have just caved. I want a family with you."

"Okay," she said, unable to stop smiling.

"Isn't it a little late to double check now anyways?"

"I guess," she laughed.

"I just meant that you're all...giddy. I've never seen you so happy before."

"I'm finally about to be somebody's madre," she said. "I feel like with this baby, we're complete. Not just Callie and Arizona. We'll be a family. The three of us. There's something so cool about that."

"There is," she nodded. "I can't wait to have a little you running around here."

"Me neither," she said. "Can we go to bed?"

"You tired?"

"Not exactly."

"Oh," she smiled.


	3. All Good

Callie only became more and more exhausted in the coming weeks. She also began experience nausea, which made her time in the OR an interesting challenge. She knew the majority of this would pass, so she could handle it for now, but it wasn't exactly the best part of pregnancy.

Arizona kissed her awake one morning in her seventh week.

"Hey," she smiled.

"How you feeling today?" she asked, placing her hand gently on her girlfriend's stomach without even noticing that's where it ended up.

"Good," she said.

"Yay," Arizona softly cheered.

Callie smiled. "What time is it?"

"Five thirty."

"We really need a day off," she complained.

"Not so much me," she said. "But it would be nice for you."

"But then how would I spend it?" Callie asked.

"True," Arizona smiled.

"Do we have to get up?" Callie questioned. "Because I'm feeling okay for the first morning in what? Four weeks? And no offense to our patients, but there a is a much more fun use of our time that I can think of right now."

She smiled. "We could make it quick."

"I like the way you think, Dr. Robbins."

She laughed. "You can't call me Dr. Robbins in bed," she said. "I'm in Peds. It just feels a little –"

"Less talking," Callie said as she pulled Arizona's top over her head.

The alarm clock's snooze button made things a little less romantic than they ideally would have liked, but that half an hour was just what they needed.

"I don't wanna go to work," Callie said, pulling Arizona back towards her.

"There are on-call rooms," she pointed out. "This can just be the beginning."

"Excellent point," she replied, kissing her neck.

* * *

><p>"So, how's my Godchild?" Mark asked, knowing that his best friend had her first official appointment that day.<p>

"Who says it's your Godchild?" Teddy questioned as she took a bite out of her ham sandwich. "What's the matter with me?"

"Who says it's either one of your Godchild?" Callie teased as she stole one of Arizona's French fries. "And I haven't had the appointment yet. It's at three."

"Oh," Mark replied.

"But God knows you've had enough morning sickness to be pretty sure everything's on track," Arizona said.

"Can we not bring up morning sickness while I eat?" she pointed out.

Arizona hadn't thought about that. "Sorry."

"I mean, I'm okay today, but still."

"Yeah."

"I have no idea how Bailey did it, though," she said. "When she was pregnant, she was...a machine."

"That's Bailey," Mark replied. "That's so not a fair comparison. No offense."

Callie's pager went off. "Gotta go," she said, pulling it off her waistband to check.

Arizona gave her a quick kiss. "See you at three?"

"Yep," she nodded. She smiled. "And we'll see Baby!"

"Yep!"

* * *

><p>"Isn't she gorgeous?" Callie asked her girlfriend as they admired the ultrasound picture they had been given that day at Callie's appointment.<p>

They already so in love with their little baby. They had even come to the conclusion that it was a she even though they didn't want to find out the gender until the birth.

"Totally," Mommy agreed, even though their baby didn't look like much more than a tiny little spot in her girlfriend's uterus.

"The heartbeat was perfect," Callie said.

"Yep."

Neither woman had said it out loud, but they both worried about the risk of a miscarriage. They worked in a hospital. They were doctors. They understood better than most people that it was a much more common occurrence than people seemed to think it was. The fact that their baby had a heartbeat allowed them both to breathe just a tad easier. They weren't necessarily out of the woods yet, but it was a reassuring sign.

"It was a good day."

"Yep," Arizona said. "You didn't feel very sick, the on-call rooms were free..."

Callie smiled.

"And most importantly, baby's happy and healthy in there."

"I think we should go check out baby stuff," she said.

"What about dinner?"

"I'm not really hungry yet."

"You just wanna spazz out over the teeny tiny onesies."

"Totally."

"Let's go," she said, kissing her.


	4. Week Twelve

"Arizona?" Callie called out when she woke up five weeks later without Arizona in the bed.

"I'm out here!" Arizona's cheery voice called back.

Callie got out of bed, noticing that the clock said five o'four a.m. She had adjusted to getting up early and going to bed late. It was what surgeons usually had to do. Since becoming pregnant, though, it wasn't so easy anymore.

"What the -?" she asked when she saw what Arizona had been doing up before her.

There was a large breakfast waiting for her on the table. Usually, they just had a bowl of cereal or some yogurt and fruit. Five in the morning was far too early to be making a full-out breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, hash browns, and toast.

"Happy week twelve!" she smiled, turning around.

"You made all this – at five am – because I'm twelve weeks today?"

"Yes, I did," she smiled. "Sit."

Callie sat down and let out a loud yawn. "You're crazy, Woman."

"Twelve weeks is a big deal, Madre. You're in your second trimester. A third of this pregnancy is done. And we can officially worry a little less. Odds are that Baby's safe in there."

"I know," she said. "But it's five am."

"How do you feel today?" she asked as she handed Callie some juice and her prenatal vitamins.

"Not so great," she replied as she took them.

"Oh."

"But I am hungry."

"Good."

"How do you have energy?"

"I've been going to bed as early as possible with you every night," she said. "You're mostly just tired because you're pregnant."

"True," she said. "I'm gonna need coffee."

"I just turned the coffee maker on."

"Thank God."

Arizona served Callie her plate of food and gave her her coffee. Then she sat down to enjoy this celebratory breakfast with her girlfriend.

"I had a dream about the baby last night," Arizona told her.

"And...?"

"It was a girl and we named her Julia," she said. "What do you think?"

"Of Julia?" she asked. "No."

"No?"

"No."

"Okay."

"What's Baby's last name? Are we gonna combine ours? Robbins-Torres?"

"Sure," she nodded.

After breakfast, Callie went into the bathroom to start getting ready for the day while Arizona cleaned up.

"Ummm...Arizona...?" she called out, panic in her voice.

Arizona set the plate she was washing down in the sink and went into the bathroom.

"What?"

"There's fresh blood on my underwear," she explained, tears welling up in her big brown eyes.

"Let's go," she said.

"So much for being safe now," Callie replied, pulling her pants back up.

"It could be okay."

"Or it could not be."

Arizona knew she was on the verge of tears. It took everything she had to compose herself. If she started crying, it wouldn't help Callie remain calm.

"But what if -?"

"Let's just go."

"Fine."

"Listen to me," Arizona said. "We're gonna think happy thoughts, okay?"

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed.

Arizona hugged her. "What for? Even if...it wouldn't be your fault, Calliope. You know that, right?"

"But –"

She kissed her. "It wouldn't be your fault. Let's just go see, okay?"

She wiped the tears away from Callie's face.

"Yeah."


	5. Wait

**Thanks to those of you who gave kind reviews. They mean a lot. Keep them coming :)**

Callie's doctor wasn't on-call when they went over to the hospital, so Arizona asked Alex to do the ultrasound. They knew he wasn't quite as qualified, but he had studied under Addison Montgomery for a pretty long while and they were confident that he knew what he was doing and talking about.

"Let's not panic yet," he said as he squirted the cool jelly onto Callie's abdomen. "This may not mean –"

"No offense, Karev, but not panicking is next to impossible," Callie replied.

"Well..." he replied.

"Baby's gonna have a heartbeat," Arizona whispered to her girlfriend.

Callie didn't even hear her; she was too busy saying silent prayers in her head. She couldn't believe that a morning that started off so good could potentially turn into one of the worst mornings of their lives. She didn't want to see anything if there was no heartbeat, so she turned her head away, studying her girlfriend's response instead.

"C'mon..." Arizona said as the image appeared on the screen.

She didn't see a heartbeat yet, but she tried not to let on, knowing that Callie was watching her.

Relief washed over them as they began to hear the sound they had been waiting for. "Oh, thank God," Callie smiled, turning her head towards the screen.

Alex's face still had a grim look washed over it. "Karev?" Arizona asked.

"Hold on," he replied.

They gave him about a minute, but it felt like an hour. There was a heartbeat. To them – two doctors who hadn't done an obstetrics rotation in years – that seemed to be a great sign. What was Alex seemingly so concerned about?

"Karev?" Arizona asked again. "What is it?"

"It's not as strong as I'd like."

"What is it?"

"Exactly one hundred," he answered. "At this point, it should be more like one twenty."

"So you're saying...?"

"I'll do a pelvic and we'll run labs," he said. "But we might not have any definitive answers here."

"Oh."

"Waiting it out might be the best thing to do."

"Would it be better to come back when Fiona's here?" Callie asked. "No offense, but just...she's my regular OB."

"I know," he said. "But not really. There's not gonna be much that's different for her to tell you."

"Oh."

"Let me do a pelvic and then we'll do blood work and see what your levels are."

"Okay."

She squeezed Arizona's hand tight.

* * *

><p>Nothing about Callie's pelvic exam concerned Alex, but he was slightly worried when her blood work came back showing a beta HCG level that seemed low for twelve weeks gestation. It seemed more like a normal eleven week reading, and those numbers should have been quite different between those seven days.<p>

He still wasn't able to give them any real answers. There were some good signs and some not so good signs. All they could do was wait it out for awhile and see what happened. If Callie's body was rejecting the pregnancy, the bleeding would continue and get even heavier. If that didn't happen, it would just be a case of unexplained bleeding and the pregnancy would continue.

Alex promised to let the chief know that they both wouldn't be in today, and that Callie would probably need at least a few days off. She was placed on bed rest in the hopes that it might make a difference. She could still miscarry, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"What are you...?" Mark asked.

He was entering the hospital as they were leaving and he had a bad feeling as soon as he saw them. They had clearly both been crying – or at least teary-eyed – and they were still in pyjamas. Plus, they weren't supposed to be leaving when their shifts were just getting started.

"I started bleeding," she choked out.

"Oh."

"There's a heartbeat, but it's weak. And my levels aren't so good. Karev says there's still a chance, though."

"Yeah," he nodded, giving her a hug. "If you need anything, let me know."

"We will," Arizona promised.

"Thanks, Mark," Callie said as she let him go.

"No problem," he said. "I mean it. Anything."

"There isn't really much –"

"Still," he said. "Even if you just need a friend."

"We'll let you know, Sloan," Arizona said.

"Mark, can you try to keep it quiet?" Callie asked. "With the way you gossip, it's next to impossible. I know. And when we're not around, people will start talking. But just..."

"I'll try," he said. "I'm not telling anyone unless they ask. It's not their business."

"No, it's not."

"Thanks, Mark," Arizona said.


	6. Distractions

**It makes me so excited everytime I find out that somebody favourited one of my stories or gave me an awesome review. Thank you to all of those people. :)**

**I promise that the next chapter will reveal what is going on with Baby Robbins-Torres. Thanks for being patient. I'm trying to keep this realistic. In a case like Callie's, the wait would be part of it. Anyways, the next chapter will be up either tomorrow or Sunday. I'm shooting for tomorrow because I want you guys to know as soon as possible, but it may be Sunday.**

* * *

><p>Three afternoons later, Arizona was making lunch when there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" she called out.<p>

She knew word was out at the hospital, and it was nice that people cared, but she was trying to keep everyone at a distance. Even though people meant well, they often times just didn't realize that their words of wisdom just sounded dumb. She had received calls from different members of the hospital staff already today telling her that if Callie lost the baby they could "just try again." She had also heard somebody say that there was probably something not quite right with the baby so they "wouldn't want it anyways."

Arizona couldn't have disagreed more with these comments. First of all, Callie was still pregnant. They didn't know if she would be tomorrow, but right now she was. People acting as if she'd already miscarried wasn't the positivity they desperately needed. As well, if Callie did end up losing their baby, "just trying again" wouldn't make it hurt less. Another baby would never be that baby. They wanted that baby, even if it wasn't a perfect one. It was theirs and they already loved it.

"It's Mark!" he called though the door.

"It's unlocked!" she replied.

He let himself in. "Hey, how is she?"

"No more bleeding."

"Good."

"We go for another scan tomorrow morning," she said.

"Oh."

"And everything better be okay," she added, tearing up over just the thought that it wasn't. Callie had bled for two days. Even if it had stopped now, it didn't guarantee that Baby was okay.

"It will be," he said. "I really hope anyways."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Sorry I didn't just let you in at the door. People have been calling, thinking they're 'preparing' us or something, and saying insensitive things."

"Oh."

"I've managed to keep them away from Callie, but –"

"Yeah."

"I think she'd like to see you, though," she smiled.

"Hey," she smiled as he walked into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Had a few minutes before my next consult," he said, sitting down on the bed. "Thought I'd come will my Godchild to stay put."

"Again, who says you're the Godfather?"

"I called it."

She laughed. "You can't 'call' Godfather, Mark."

"But I made you laugh."

"True."

"Anything you need while I'm here?" he asked. "I mean, I'm sure Robbins has been on top of it all –"

"Actually, I have a favour to ask."

"Anything," he nodded. "What?"

"Can you take Baby's things?" she asked him, fighting back a rush of emotion.

"Callie..."

"It's not a lot. Just some clothes and stuff. I'm sick of walking by the room and seeing it all. Yet, I can't get rid of it either. It's Baby's stuff. If there is a baby, they should get it. But if not –"

"You don't wanna have to deal with it."

"No."

"Okay," he said. "I'll bring it to my place."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"You really came over just to see me?"

"Figured you could use a little distraction," he said. "And so far, all we've talked about is Baby. So, let's talk about something else."

"What's up with Little Grey? Anymore talking?"

"She's scrubbing in with me at two," she said. "We're giving a double mastectomy patient new boobs."

"Romantic," she teased.

"Hey, she might at least talk."

"Good luck."

* * *

><p>"Who was that?" Callie asked as she and Arizona lay in bed that night.<p>

It was only seven thirty and Arizona wasn't nearly tired, but Callie had been trying to take it as easy as possible. Her girlfriend simply wanted to keep her company. The next thirteen hours until they found out if Baby still had a beating heart would feel impossibly long for her, and even longer for Callie she suspected.

Arizona had just hung up the phone. "The chief."

"What did he want?"

"A little girl with Taye Sachs just came in. I've been treating her for a year and a half. He thought I should know."

"You can go if you want," she told her.

"She'll be there tomorrow, too. And if things are good with Baby, I'll be back to work."

"But –"

"She's not that bad off yet," Arizona explained. "She's got at least another year. Not being there one day won't matter. She's got somebody else on her case for now."

"It might help her to see a familiar face."

"Callie, I'm fine right here," she promised. "I'll check on Sabina in the morning."

"Okay."

Arizona kissed her. "It is okay," she said. "It's all gonna be okay."

"God, I hope you're right."

"Me too."


	7. Know

Callie and Arizona barely slept that night. The nerves got the best of them. They spent the entire night willing Baby to still have a heartbeat in the morning. Then, even though they knew better, they began letting themselves preview the feelings of pure exhilaration that they would feel in the morning if everything was okay. In the back for their minds, they knew this would only deepen their sorrow if the baby wasn't just fine, but they couldn't help but imagine it. It was better than imagining the alternative.

"You don't know yet?" Mark asked when he saw his best friend and her girlfriend early the next morning.

"We don't know yet," Callie said, taking an extra deep breath.

The anticipation and nervousness were causing her heart to beat faster. It felt like it was in her throat, and she was aware of each breath she took. It felt like they were especially deep today. It seemed all of this was happening in slow motion or something.

"When's your appointment?" he questioned.

"Ten minutes," Arizona said.

"I have a good feeling," Mark told them.

"Aren't I supposed to have the feeling?" Callie asked.

"Do you?"

"I don't know."

"We have to know," Arizona said, taking her hand. "Know."

"Know," Callie repeated.

"I'll be down here," Mark simply said. "Come find me."

"Okay," Callie nodded, pretty sure that she would feel as if she had to tell him either way, right away. "Thanks, Sloan."

"No problem," he replied. "And then can you go get your kid's crap out of my apartment?"

Arizona smiled. "Let's hope."

"Know," Callie said.

"Right," she nodded. "Know."

* * *

><p>After giving a urine sample and having a nurse draw her blood for testing, Callie got in a gown and laid on the exam table waiting for her doctor to come in.<p>

"Know," Arizona told her girlfriend again.

"Know," Callie nodded.

"Hi," Dr. Fiona McGee said as she walked into the room. "I'd start with morning greetings and other casual pleasantries, but I don't think you really want to spend one more second without answers, do you?"

"Not so much," Callie agreed.

"Let's have a look," she said as she began the internal ultrasound.

"Have you looked at her labs yet?"

"I have," she nodded. "But I want to check for a heartbeat first."

"Meaning the labs are good," she realized. "If the labs showed a beta HCG of zero, you wouldn't –"

"We need to look."

Arizona was right. Callie's labs had been good. Her levels were back to multiplying like they should be. However, she wasn't ready to give them this information just yet just in case Baby didn't have a strong heartbeat. If their child was still in danger, she didn't want to tell them it was fine only to have to go back on that in the next breath.

"Yeah," Callie nodded.

She closed her eyes, though. She was too scared to look and see nothing. No movement. No signs of life.

Her eyes didn't open until she heard the sound and felt the gentle squeeze of Arizona's hand.

She looked and saw the baby's heart beating. "It's okay?"

Fiona smiled. "It's just fine," she said. "Fantastic, even. Right on track for twelve weeks and four days."

"Fantastic," Arizona repeated as the smile spread across her face. "Our kid is fantastic."

"Well, I mean, it's our kid," Callie said, laughing as happy tears began to flood her eyes.

She kissed her. "I love you, Calliope Torres."

"I love you, too."

"Congratulations," Dr. McGee smiled. "It's a good day when I get to start it off with this kind of news. I love these days."

"Yeah," Callie nodded.

"Let me know when I can stop," she said, knowing they needed to hear just a little more of their baby's heartbeat.

"I just have something I have to ask," Callie told her. "I think I know the answer, but..."

"Shh..." Arizona replied. "Just listen," she whispered. "Listen."

"What caused the bleeding?" Callie asked. "Do you know?"

"It really could be anything," she said. "The important thing is that it's stopped and you have a healthy, growing little one in there."

"Yep," Arizona nodded.

"Thank God."

"You'll be fine to return to work and everything," Dr. McGee told Callie. "Today if you'd like."

"Great," she smiled. "But we have somewhere else to go first."

* * *

><p>"Baby's good?" Mark asked when he saw them coming back towards him about ten minutes later.<p>

"Baby's fantastic," Callie smiled. "Stronger heartbeat, perfect kid."

"Good."

"Give me your keys," she told him, putting her hand out. "I've gotta go get my kid's crap out of your apartment."

He handed them over. "Here."

"We'll be back," she said. "So I'll give these back then."

"Sounds good."

Lexie started walking over. "Dr. Sloan, my patient in 3578 –"

"I'll be there in a second, Dr. Grey," he replied.

"Fine," Lexie replied, walking away.

"That should help," Callie commented. "You know, the relationship and everything."

"Shut up."

"She's got a point," Arizona said. "Not giving her a chance to say something just because you get all nervous every time she speaks to you won't help."

"Go see the patient," Callie said. "Then buy Little Grey a coffee. If she'll let you, sit down and talk. If not, at least it's a start."

"You don't think I've tried that?"

"Try again," she said. "And again. Us women like persistence."

"We really do," Arizona agreed.

"You're the best," Mark told them.

"We know," Callie nodded. "Especially today. We're awesome today."


	8. Thankful

"This is my favourite," Callie smiled holding up a brown onesie that had a monkey on it along with the words "Mommy's Little Monkey."

Arizona smiled as they went through the few items they had started collecting for their son or daughter. Now that they knew he or she was safe and healthy, there was something extra special – and cute – about each item.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"It's unisex, right?" she wondered, since they already knew that they had no plans to find out Baby's gender before his or her birthday.

"For sure," she answered.

"We really should get to work," Callie said. "We have the next twenty-eight weeks to sit around admiring baby clothes."

Thank God, Arizona thought. Given the fact that they had almost lost this baby, they both felt extremely lucky that these fun little moments of preparation could continue.

"You're sure you feel up to it?"

"I feel amazing now," she smiled. "Are you kidding?"

She kissed her. Just then, her pager went off. Getting up, she looked around until she realized she had placed it down on the kitchen counter. Her face fell as soon as she read the page. "Oh, no."

"What?"

"It's Britton Mercury," she said, grabbing her keys.

"The girl with Taye Sachs?"

"Yep," she nodded. "Stark had to rush her into surgery. Her airway closed right up."

"Oh."

"Maybe I didn't realize how bad this had gotten for her. So quickly."

"Sorry."

"It never gets easier to watch parents go through something like this," she said. "Or to watch kids get so scared."

With that, Arizona rushed out of the apartment and over to the hospital. She didn't know what she was going to do for Britton, but she was determined to maximize that time she had left. She wanted her to have the best quality of life for as long as possible and she wasn't ready to give up yet.

* * *

><p>Callie made her way over and found herself a surgery right away. Bedrest had been best for Baby, but not so much for her. She had been bored and she couldn't wait to scrub in again.<p>

"Welcome back, Torres," Owen, who had operated on the patient alongside her, smiled.

"Thanks."

"Everything okay with you?" he asked. "Not that it's my business, but I heard some talk and –"

"I'm fine," she smiled. "I had a bit of a scare, but everything's great now."

"Good."

* * *

><p>"Coffee?" Mark offered Lexie, handing her the cup. "Milk and two sugars, right?"<p>

"Right," she smiled. "Thanks. But why...?"

"Coffee's a start," he said. "Wanna go somewhere and talk?"

"About...?"

"Anything but –"

"Yeah," she quickly agreed.

The shooting wasn't something neither of them wanted to talk about. Neither was the PTSD Lexie had experienced. However, when they did talk, it always seemed like they talked about one of those topics. Obviously, talking such dark events never seemed to help rebuild their relationship.

"Did you scrub in on anything good today?" he asked.

"Altman let me hold a heart last night," she smiled. "That never gets old."

"Where was Cristina?" Mark asked.

She laughed. "She and Meredith were in Derek's OR. So somebody else finally got Altman's time."

"Good."

"What could you see me specializing in?" she asked as they walked down the hall. "Cardio's great, but I'm no Cristina. Neuros interesting, but would that be too...Meredith?"

"You don't want to be in her shadow."

"No."

"But you're Lexipedia. You won't be. Even if you chose Neuro. The photographic memory gives you an edge."

"I don't need to be better than her."

"You just wanna hold your own."

"Exactly."

"And you do."

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about Meredith. Go into whatever speciality you want. And you have plenty of time to decide."

"What made you chose Plastics?"

"It takes skills above and beyond those of most specialities. And it's always a good day when you can make somebody feel good about themselves. People think Plastics is shallow, but it's...beautiful. There's so much more to it."

"Kinda like you."

"You think?" he asked, with a little laugh, trying not to overreact to the comment she had just given him.

"For sure."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Arizona started Britton on a few new medications to relax the muscles in her airway and allow her to breathe easier. That night, she was even breathing well enough to have her breathing tube taken out.<p>

"Oh, I know," Arizona told her as she did it. "That feels bad, huh?"

"Yeah," the little girl said in a hoarse voice.

"You just rest," she replied. "And I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Maybe we can watch movies," Britton's mom suggested.

"One, two, free?" the three-year-old asked.

"You wanna watch the counting video?"

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow you'll have to count for me," Arizona told her. "But tonight, just rest that throat up."

"Popcle?" she asked.

"You want a popsicle?"

"Yeah."

"If Mommy helps you eat it," Arizona compromised, knowing the little girl had to be careful about biting off and swallowing chunks of the treat. Even though it would melt eventually, it could still pose a risk to her airway right now.

"Yeah."

"Deal?"

She nodded.

"You enjoy your video," she nodded.

"Yep."

Arizona hadn't realized, but her girlfriend had been watching. "You're lucky."

"What?" Arizona asked.

"All your patients love you."

"At first, most of them are kinda terrified, actually," she replied.

"Okay, once they get used to you, they love you."

"Peds is pretty awesome like that," she nodded.


	9. Ultrasound

"Mommy…" Callie whisperjed, crawling back into bed beside her girlfriend.

Arizona had ended up needing to stay at the hospital for most of the night last night, meaning she had only managed to get a couple hours of sleep. Callie felt bad about waking her, but she knew that this was worth it.

Arizona opened her big blue eyes. "What?" she asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I have my ultrasound this morning," she answered, giving her a kiss. "Wanna go see Baby?"

"That's today?"

"Uh huh," she nodded. "In twenty minutes. I let you sleep as long as I could."

Arizona reached out and placed a hand on Callie's now visible baby bump. Eight weeks had gone by, and this was officially the halfway point. In about twenty more weeks, they would be meeting their little one.

"How's Baby today?"

"More kicking."

"Baby, why don't you kick when I can feel it?" Arizona asked.

"One day, right?" Callie replied, placing her hand just above Arizona's. "One day you'll kick for Mommy."

"Are we still not finding out what it is?" Arizona questioned.

They were both curious to know, but they also both wanted the surprise. They thought it would be fun to find out when Baby arrived.

"We're not finding out," Callie nodded. "Which means no peaking."

"I won't if you won't."

"Deal."

* * *

><p>"You're up early," Mark commented as he saw the two ladies leaving their apartment at the same time he and Lexie were leaving his.<p>

Callie had been doing everything she could to avoid mornings that began before six. This obviously wasn't always possible, but she tried. The pregnancy was just taking its toll on her energy level, making those very early mornings tougher and tougher as the weeks went by.

"Ultrasound," Callie said. "Totally worth it."

Arizona yawned. "Yeah."

"Oh," he said.

"Are you finding out what is it?" Lexie asked.

"Nope," Callie shook her head. "All we care about is that it's healthy. That's all we need to know for now."

"You seriously think you can wait?" Mark asked.

"Why not?" Arizona asked. "It's not like it's gonna matter. We'll be just as happy either way."

"What about getting things ready?"

"Not everything has to be pink or blue, Mark," Callie smiled. "In fact, having only pink for a girl is kind of annoying."

"It is?" Arizona asked.

"Girls can wear blue, too," she said.

"Well, yeah."

"And we really don't care what it is," Callie added.

"Nope."

* * *

><p>"Look at that little face!" Callie smiled as Baby gave him a perfect look at him or her. "Adorable."<p>

"This baby's certainly happy to show off for you," Dr. McGee commented. "Some babies have their faces all covered with their little hands, but not this little one."

"It knows we want good pictures," Arizona smiled.

"Yep."

They continued watching on the monitor for a few more minutes as Dr. McGee measured all the important things she needed to make sure were growing as they should be.

"Oh!" Arizona suddenly smiled.

"What?" Callie asked.

"Did you see that?"

"What?"

"I think I know what Baby is."

"Arizona!"

"Not on purpose!" she defended. "I wasn't looking for…I just saw it."

"That would be the umbilical cord," Dr. McGee replied. "Not a penis."

"You can't tell the difference between -?" Callie laughed.

"I just saw it quickly!" Arizona defended.

"Whatever you say," she replied.

"It's a common mistake," Dr. McGee said.

"So if it's not a penis, we're having a girl?" Arizona asked.

"What happened to not wanting to know?" Callie replied. "When did we decide -?"

"She just told us!"

"Do you want to know?" Dr. McGee asked. "I can tell you for sure."

"No," Callie said. "We don't."

"Then I didn't say anything for sure," she laughed. "Just that what Mom saw wasn't a penis. There might still be a penis. Or maybe not."

"We get it," Arizona said. "But you're sure that was just umbilical cord?"

"Arizona, the same thing you saw is now up by its head," Callie pointed out. "I'm gonna go with it being the cord."

"Everything looks healthy," the doctor continued, letting the parents get one last look at their baby before turning the machine off. "Right on track."

"Why do I feel so big?" Callie asked. "Is Baby big?"

"Not really," she said. "It's just the way you're carrying. Everything's fine."

"Good," Callie smiled. "I have no desire to have a huge kid."

"Who does?" she laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>I realize that was short, but it felt best to keep this chapter on the shorter side. More soon. :)<br>**


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